What Happened to the Classics?

"Why are we watching a movie about talking animals?"
"I'd rather be home..."
"I'd rather be having lecture."
"I refuse to watch a movie that promotes animal abuse!"

This is all dialogue, from masters students, about Animal Farm by George Orwell (we watched the movie in class today). This book was a huge part of literary history, an allegory about the ill effects of communism in Russia. It came out right before World War II, and had a massive impact on the world.

It makes me so sad that not only had most of the people in my class not heard of this novel, they were completely uninterested in watching the movie. It baffles me that a group of educated adults could reduce such a powerful piece of history to a movie about "animal abuse." It makes me wonder what happened to the classics and to having an appreciation of what they represent. I'm not sure if it's because of my literature degree, or my general love of reading, but I honestly don't understand when people say, "I don't like to read." Drives me nuts.

What am I reading now? Besides the never ending readings for school, a book about JFK's assassination. Justin and I visited the 6th Floor Museum in Dallas, and became fascinated with the mystery! Before that I read The Hunger Games (and by read I mean DEVOURED). These books are good. Amazing. Made for young adults, but better than Twilight, better than the Sookie Stackhouse novels, and better than Harry Potter. I highly recommend them to anyone!

In other news, I got accepted to study abroad in INDIA next fall!!!! I'm ecstatic! And nervous! And anxious! I'm every emotion anyone could feel about moving to another country, punctuated with an exclamation point. That's for another post though...